


A Bouquet For You

by not_quite_anonymous



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Yamaguchi went to Nekoma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27405205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_quite_anonymous/pseuds/not_quite_anonymous
Summary: Tsukishima never thought he was a flowers kind of guy, but when he stumbles into a flower shop by accident and sees the adorable, freckled clerk, he might just have to reconsider.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 27
Kudos: 178
Collections: Yamaguchi Week 2020





	A Bouquet For You

**Author's Note:**

> day 3 of yamaguchi week 2020! the prompts i chose for today were "flowers" and "different school au"
> 
> i wrote this all in one sitting last night because i live for flower shop yamaguchi and flustered tsukishima and i'm quite proud of how it turned out!
> 
> hope you enjoy!
> 
> edit: @yamigoop on twitter made this wonderful [art](https://twitter.com/yamigoop/status/1346128686999855105) go check it out!!

The flower shop was easy to miss. It was tucked into a corner, between a convenience store and a used book shop. If you weren’t paying attention, you probably would have walked right past the unassuming white door and slightly crooked sign. However, if you did choose to walk in, you would have seen a small but surprisingly well lit shop, with shelves lined with colourful flowers and painted pots.

The flower shop was cozy, well kept, and unnoticable. And it was Tsukishima Kei’s favourite place in the world.

The first time Tsukishima discovered the flower shop, it had been an accident.

While shopping nearby, it had started to pour rain all of a sudden. Not particularly caring what shop it was and just wanting to get indoors, Tsukishima had pushed open the door and stumbled inside. It was like stepping into another dimension. The welcoming atmosphere, the bursting colours, and the faintly sweet smell all put him at ease. He felt his shoulders relaxing and lungs fill with scented air.

“H-hello, can I help you?”

Tsukishima whirled around, forgetting that he wasn’t alone. He laid eyes on the clerk standing behind the counter, who was sheepishly smiling at him. He was tall (but not quite as tall as Tsukishima), with green-brown hair that flopped around his face except for one piece that stuck up at the top of his head like an antenna. Tsukishima resisted the urge to reach out and press it down. Brown eyes met gold ones, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but notice the smattering of freckles across his cheekbones, disappearing under the collar of his shirt, and reappearing on the inside of his arms where his sleeves were rolled up.  _ Cute _ , Tsukishima thought, then,  _ shit I’ve been staring for too long _ .

“Just uh, browsing.” 

Tsukishima reached up to run a hand through his hair but found it plastered to the side of his face, still slick with rain. His glasses were starting to fog up with the sudden change in temperature too. Dammit, he probably looked like a mess. 

A faint giggle came from the mystery flower boy, and it might have been the most beautiful sound that Tsukishima had ever heard. 

“Sorry, do you need help? We probably have some paper towels that you could use to dry off a bit.”

“Yeah, that’d be great, thank you.”

Tsukishima watched the flower boy duck behind a doorーa storage room maybe?ーand heard the sounds of things being moved. He took the time to take a closer look around the shop, noticing the meticulously organized shelves full of fresh-cut flowers, seeds and bulbs, and various gardening tools. Each bin was carefully labelled with a scrawled-on sticker, usually with a little smiley face or heart next to it. He found himself smiling, though he didn’t know why.

“Here, you can use these.” Flower boy had returned, this time with a roll of paper towels, which he passed to Tsukishima over the counter.

“Thanks. By the way uh, what’s your name?” Tsukishima blurted before he could stop himself.

“Yamaguchi Tadashi. Yours?”

“I’m TsukーKeiーI mean, Tsukishima. Tsukishima Kei.”  _ Shit. _

“Okay, Tsukki it is.” Yamaguchi stifled a laugh with his hand.

Normally Tsukishima hated nicknames, but when it came out of Yamaguchi’s mouth he strangely didn’t mind all that much.

“Sorry for the inconvenience. I didn’t think that it would rain today, or else I would have brought an umbrella.” Tsukishima started wiping water off his glasses, hoping that the fog wouldn’t smudge too much.

“Yeah, I like the rain, but it really drives away business.” Flower boyーno,  _ Yamaguchi _ ーpropped his chin up on his hand, elbow resting on the table, and let out a little huff.

“Are there usually lots of customers?”

“Hm, not really, but enough to keep it going. Mostly we get regulars coming by every week or so, restaurant owners and the like. And of course, there’s always a huge rush around Valentine’s Day. I’m never around to see it, but I’ve heard plenty of horror stories of last minute orders from my mom.”

“Does she own the place?” Tsukishima didn’t quite know why he was asking so many questions, he just knew that he was enamored with the sound of the other boy’s voice and wanted to keep talking to him.

“Actually, it’s my grandfather’s shop. I help out over the summers sometimes, since I’m studying in Tokyo.” Yamaguchi absentmindedly took the paper towels back from Tsukishima and placed them under the counter that still separated them.

“Tokyo? Explains why I haven’t seen you around then. I’m a first-year at Sendai University.”

Yamaguchi’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’m a first-year too! Botanical sciences. What about you?”

“Ah, paleontology. Although I’m actually at Sendai on a volleyball scholarship.”

“Huh, I never took you for a dinosaur guy,” Yamaguchi teased.

“Paleontology is a lot more than dinosaurs! It’s about history and discovering the past through scientific remains and research! Also… there’s nothing wrong with liking dinosaurs,” Tsukishima said defensively, drawing out another laugh from Yamaguchi ( _ that’s the third one! _ Tsukishima thought giddily).

“I never said there was, paleontology is cool.”

“Botanical sciences is cool too,” Tsukishima offered. “Uh, plants, am I right?”  _ Oh my god, I cannot believe I just said that. He’s going to think that I’m the dumbest person alive. _

Thankfully, Yamaguchi took it in stride as a joke. “Plants, indeed. Didn’t you come into the store for the plants?”

“Uh, no, sorry, I, the rain…” Tsukishima trailed off as he tried to gesture outside at the rain, only to find the skies clear and blue. The only trace of there ever being rain were the pitiful puddles on the sidewalk and droplets clinging to the outdoor flower displays. 

“What rain?” Yamaguchi asked innocently. “Doesn’t look like it’s raining to me.”

Tsukishima narrowed his eyes. “Well then I guess I should get going then.”  _ Although I really want to stay... _

“Don’t say you’re going to leave without buying anything, shame.” His voice was still light and teasing.

Tsukishima placed his palms on the counter, using the few extra inches he had on Yamaguchi to give him a disbelieving glare. Yamaguchi held his stare, although Tsukishima noticed a light blush creeping onto his face.

After what seemed like half an hour but was probably only a minute at most, Tsukishima gave in and decided to play his game. 

“Alright, can I get a flower that says ‘fuck you’?” Tsukishima countered the foul language with a winning smile.

Yamaguchi’s mouth dropped open slightly, then he burst into laughter. Real genuine laughter, that bubbled up from his gut and left him breathless. Scratch whatever he said before,  _ this _ was the most beautiful sound Tsukishima had ever heard. 

“Buttercups and yellow carnations. Childishness, rejection, and disdain,” Yamaguchi sputtered, still fighting fits of giggles.

“I’ll take them.”

Pulling out his wallet and passing over a few bills, he took the flowers that Yamaguchi offered him (small, delicate yellow blossoms interspersed with larger, poofier, and lighter yellow ones) and strolled out of the store, sneaking one last look in behind him to see Yamaguchi give him a little wave goodbye.

When Tsukishima arrived home (having completely forgotten what he originally went shopping for) he carefully placed the bouquet of flowers in a vase of water on his bedside table. That night, he went to sleep looking at yellow blossoms and dreaming of a boy with hair the colour of flower stems.

The second time Tsukishima visited the shop, it was intentional. 

It was only a few days later, but he couldn’t help himself. It wasn’t his fault that it was only a short walk away from his house, or that he couldn’t get the thought of brown eyes and freckles out of his head. 

When he walked in, he breathed a sigh of relief that it was Yamaguchi behind the counter again.

“Hey, it’s you! Tsukki, right?”

“Tsukishima, actually,” he corrected instinctively.

“Same difference. How are your yellow carnations? Back for more? Maybe some butterfly weed too this time for some extra spice?”

“They died, actually. I’m fairly sure I have the opposite of a green thumb.” Even though Tsukishima had tried his best to keep them alive, the flowers ended up wilting on him the very next day and he had to throw them out.

“It’s only been four days! How are they already dead?”

Tsukishima shrugged, then smirked. “You’ve been counting the days?”

“Uh, well, not much else happens here, you know?” Yamaguchi stuttered, attempting a weak smile. “You’re the only person even close to my age who’s visited in the past month, and you seemed cool and I wanted to ask you about volleyball because I played some in middle school and high school but wasn’t good enough to continue in university and I wanted to know what position you played and more about you in general because you were really interesting and I really should stop rambling, huh. Sorry.” 

Yamaguchi was blushing to the very tips of his ears. Tsukishima smiled.  _ Cute. Yamaguchi was so cute _ . 

“To answer your question, I’m a middle blocker, and I clearly thought you were interesting enough to come back here. What high school did you go to? I might have played you before, although I think I would have remembered someone like you.” Tsukishima realized his slip up too late, but it was true. There was no way that he could forget someone as gorgeous as Yamaguchi.

“Middle blocker, huh? Well, you certainly have the height for it. I grew up in Tokyo, so you may not have heard of them… but Nekoma High? I played pinch server and eventually captain in my third year.” There was a tint of pride in his voice.

_ Nekoma. _ The school name sounded familiar but Tsukishima couldn’t remember where he had heard it before. A vague memory of Coach Ukai was dragged up from the depths of his memory, something about… 

“Oh, the cats! I’ve heard of you guys! I went to Karasuno, we were supposed to be ‘fated rivals’ or something. I think our teacher tried to set up a match with you guys but plans fell through.”

“To think we could have played each other,” Yamaguchi mused. “And that now we’re meeting again here. It’s almost like the universe wants us together.”

Was he… flirting? Tsukishima boldly pressed further, while still keeping his tone airy.

“We were just meant to be, I guess.”

“I guess so.”

Both of them were blushing, unable to look each other in the eye. Tsukishima had never felt this at ease and yet this flustered by anyone in his life. He was always the unbothered, snarky one, but something about Yamaguchi turned him into this stumbling, blushing mess.

Trying desperately to continue the conversation, Tsukishima pointed at a random nearby flower display, a mixture of purples and blues that seemed eye-catching but not overly showy.

“What does this bouquet mean?”

Yamaguchi relaxed, clearly in his element when talking about flowers. “Oh well, there are quite a few different types of flowers.” He pointed at a blueish veined one. “This one is the morning glory, which means affection. These,” he gestured at a clump of delicate purple blossoms, “are the spring crocus. They mean youthfulness or happiness. The centrepiece,” he pointed to a single large purple blossom, almost spherical in shape, “is a dahlia, which means good taste. And finally, the backdrop of sweet basil signifies good wishes.”

Tsukishima smiled at how perfect it was. “I’ll take it.”

Over the next few months, Tsukishima found himself coming to the flower shop more and more often, until he was dropping by nearly every day. His conversations with Yamaguchi were genuine and engaging; ranging from their studies (Tsukishima found out that Yamaguchi was an overachiever in nearly every subject but calculus, which he hated with a passion) to video games (Yamauguchi ranting about how Pokemon Emerald was the best Pokemon game hands down) to flirting (“Tell my why you look so angelic but act so devilish”) to deep philosophical debates (“Why do you think that we exist on Earth?”). 

Soon enough, going to the flower shop and seeing Yamaguchi would be the highlight of Tsukishima’s day. He would look forward to the moment when he walked through that white door and could see Yamaguchi’s face light up and a happy “Tsukki!” falling from his lips from the moment he woke up and got out of bed. Tsukishima was addicted, but he wasn’t complaining.

Yes, maybe he had a little crush, but what could he do about it? If he wanted to kiss every freckle on Yamaguchi’s face and had to bite back from confessing his feelings every time he saw that mischievous twinkle in Yamaguchi’s eye, well then that was his problem wasn’t it?

Every day, Tsukishima left with a new flower or bouquet, along with an extensive explanation of its meaning. Yamaguchi was a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge, and Tsukishima happily listened while he lectured him on the difference in meaning between different flowers, colours, and arrangements. He learned about how to put bouquets together, how to keep cut flowers alive, and Yamaguchi even brought him to the small greenhouse behind the store where they grew some of their flowers and herbs. 

After two months, Tsukishima finally worked up the nerve to ask Yamaguchi for his phone number. Their first texts were slow and awkward and way too formal, but soon enough they began texting constantly, nearly every waking hour that they didn’t spend together at the flower shop, and Tsukishima wondered why he had waited for so long. Yamaguchi would send Tsukishima pictures of dogs or flowers, usually followed by a long string of exclamation marks and emojis. In return, Tsukishima would send links to certain songs or videos, which was the only way he knew how to express his affection. 

They naturally progressed to calling from there, often spending hours chatting late into the night without even realizing it. Tsukishima had to upgrade his phone plan just to be able to keep up, but it was so worth it to hear Yamaguchi’s voice and laugh before he went to bed. Everything with Yamaguchi was so comfortable, so perfect. They fit into each other’s lives like puzzle pieces, until Tsukishima was baffled how he ever existed without Yamaguchi a quick text or call away. 

The twenty-seventh (twenty-eighth? Tsukishima had lost count) time he visited the flower shop, he had an epiphany.

The bell tinkled softly when Tsukishima stepped inside, the familiar smell of flowers and sight of Yamaguchi with his hair tied up ( _ It should be illegal to look that good _ , Tsukishima thought absentmindedly) making the tension bleed from his body. 

“Hey, Tsukki! You’re here earlier than usual today.” 

Yamaguchi smiled at Tsukishima, clad in loose jeans that were soil-stained and patched at the knees and a simple white t-shirt. He was wearing gardening gloves and held a pair of shears.

“Yeah, I guess I was excited to come see you today.”  _ Ah shit, too much? _

“You know I’m always excited to see you.”  _ Nope, just enough. _

“What are you doing with those shears?”

“Oh, we got a large order in today so I’m just cutting the flowers now, do you want to come help?”

“I’d love to.” Seeing how happy Yamaguchi got around flowers could make even the most frozen heart thaw.

“Okay, grab another pair of gloves and come to the greenhouse.”

Tsukishima obediently slipped on a pair of green gardening gloves and followed Yamaguchi through the back room to the greenhouse. The air was warmer and more humid, settling almost blanket-like over their shoulders. 

“I’m going to cut the flowers, you just help me hold them.” Yamaguchi began methodically separating flower stems and cutting them at an angle, then passing them to Tsukishima, humming quietly while he worked.

“Am I just your glorified flower holder now? I see how it is,” Tsukishima drawled teasingly.

“Well, you’re much prettier to look at than a bucket.”

“Is that even a compliment?”

“At least I didn’t say you were  _ worse _ looking.”

At that, Tsukishima flicked a clump of dirt towards Yamaguchi’s knee, making him gasp in protest and poke him back. Tsukishima retaliated, leading to an all out tickle fight. Yamaguchi tried to reach for Tsukishima’s neck, but fell off balance. Thankfully he was already kneeling, so he just fell backwards into the dirt with a soft  _ oomph _ . However, the momentum of the movement caused Tsukishima to fall forward, bracing himself with hands planted on either side of Yamaguchi’s flushed face. Their legs were entangled, chests rising and falling quickly. Looking down, Tsukishima could see Yamaguchi’s pupils blown wide and his gaze dipped down, want clear in his eyes. 

The moment held for five heartbeats, six, seven… Tsukishima’s breath hitched and he needed to get off Yamaguchi  _ now.  _ Scrambling to get out of the extremely compromising position (although a part of Tsukishima’s brain protested at the action), both of them apologized profusely, words stumbling and tripping over each other. They returned to cutting flowers, although both of them were redder than the roses themselves.

Even after confirming that yes he was maybe definitely just a little bit in love with Yamaguchi, Tsukishima was too cowardly to do what he really wanted to do since the first time he laid eyes on him. How could he risk asking Yamaguchi out now, when their friendship was so new and fragile? Despite their weird, almost instant bond, it didn’t change the fact that they had only known each other for a matter of months. It was better to wait… right? Yamaguchi didn’t make his sexuality a secret (he talked about ex-boyfriends just as easily as ex-girlfriends), but there was a huge difference between fantasizing about the possibility of something happening and actually acting on it.

Tsukishima was stumped. He was sure that he wasn’t imagining the times he caught Yamaguchi staring at him for just a few moments too long, the casual touches and flirty remarks, or the mutual trust they had built up. But what to  _ do _ about it? Tsukishima was terrible with his words, and he wanted to do something special for Yamaguchi. 

Suddenly, the perfect idea struck him. Pulling out his laptop, he began to do some research…

The next morning, Tsukishima woke up slumped over his desk, groggy and dry-mouthed, with the imprint of his keyboard stamped on his right cheek. He groaned and stretched out, reaching his arms over his head to stretch out the joints that had stiffened in the few hours of stolen sleep. He must have stayed up too late and fallen asleep before he could make his way to bed. Looking at his research though, Tsukishima smiled in satisfaction. It was perfect.

A quick glance at the clock showed that the flower shop would open in just under an hour. Tsukishima used the time to shower and get dressed in slim-fitting jeans and a crewneck sweater. Yamaguchi had sent him a few texts, but he couldn’t bring himself to reply. He set off on his path to the flower shop, his body almost being able to do it from muscle memory from the number of times he had trodden down this same street. 

Tsukishima couldn’t remember how many times he had visited the flower shop, but it didn’t really matter. 

“Yamaguchi!” Tsukishima didn’t realize that he had been running until he heard how breathless he sounded.

“Tsukki…?” Yamaguchi walked out from behind a shelf holding a broom.

“Are you busy?” Tsukishima asked sheepishly. He didn’t think that he might have been interrupting Yamaguchi’s schedule, the urge to see him clouding his judgement.

“No, just cleaning before we open up. Is everything okay?”

“Yes. No. Maybe. Listen, I really need a special bouquet today.”

“Why, did you meet a special someone?” Yamaguchi teased, tilting his head.

“Actually, yes. They’re smart, and funny, and absolutely adorable. I think I’m totally smitten, and I might have been since the moment I met them. They’ve totally turned my world upside down, and I need a bouquet that’ll impress them because they mean everything to me.” Tsukishima’s voice was sincere and emphatic.

Yamaguchi was silent for a long time.

“Oh.” 

Yamaguchi uttered the single syllable quietly, lips parting, trembling, then pressing tightly together. He cleared his throat, recovering quickly. 

“Well, we have lots of great romantic bouquets, or I can pick a custom bouquet forー”

“No, I want to choose the flowers myself,” Tsukishima interrupted.

“You always let me pick out flowers for you though…” Yamaguchi sounded wounded, breaking the facade of the unbiased salesperson for a moment.

“This one is really special.” Tsukishima hated seeing the look on Yamaguchi’s face, so he added, “Actually, I would love your input as well. If I picked out the flowers, could you confirm the meanings for me?”

“Uh, sure?”

Tsukishima led Yamaguchi around the shop, pointing out various flowers. He relied on the information he had gotten last night, as well as the things he picked up from the countless hours spent in this shop, listening to Yamaguchi explain the intricacies of bouquet making. Finally, he was satisfied with his choices.

“Is that all?” Yamaguchi’s voice had lost all of its sparkle, instead just sounding robotic and monotone.

“Yes. Could you please explain what they mean for me?”

Yamaguchi looked down carefully at the bouquet of flowers and hesitantly began to speak.

“Bluebells symbolize humility, constancy, and reliability. Violets mean loyalty and devotion. Dwarf sunflowers is adoration. Pink and white camellias; longing and adorableness. White clover means ‘think of me’, usually from the giver, same with forget-me-not. Valerian means readiness. Aster, daffodils, heliotrope, honeysuckle, lily-of-the-valley… these all mean true, everlasting love. This person must be really important to you, huh? Who is it for?”

“There’s one flower you missed.”

Yamaguchi carefully scanned the bouquet. “Iris… a message?”

Tsukishima took a deep breath. 

“It’s you, Yamaguchi. The bouquet is for you. You are the one I’ve been enamoured with since the day I stepped into this shop. You’re so brilliant and so good, and I’m so bad with words but I know that you would understand me if I spoke through flowers. I chose those flowers for  _ you _ , Yamaguchi.”

Yamaguchi hadn’t moved a muscle, too shocked to formulate thoughts, much less words. He was still staring at the bouquet cradled in his hands as if they had morphed into pure gold. 

Tsukishima stood breathlessly, waiting for his answer.

Yamaguchi carefully placed the bouquet on the counter to his side, and Tsukishima’s heart sank.

“I’m sorー”

Tsukishima was cut off by Yamaguchi stepping forward onto his tiptoes, wrapping his arms around Tsukishima’s neck, and sliding his lips against his own. Yamaguchi tasted like honey and spring, sweet and fresh and something that couldn’t quite be placed. His lips were soft, moving slowly against Tsukishima’s. It took several seconds for him to process that  _ holy shit this is happening, Yamaguchi Tadashi is kissing me right now _ . Once he did though, Tsukishima slipped his arms around Yamaguchi’s waist and supported him as their lips parted with a soft noise.

Yamaguchi pulled Tsukishima closer and buried his head into the crook of his neck.

“Tsukki, you  _ moron! _ ”

“Iーwait, what?”

“Why didn’t you just tell me? Do you have any idea how panicked I was? I’ve liked you for  _ so long _ , since you walked in on that rainy day with your stupid glasses and your stupid hair and stupid face.”

Somehow Yamaguchi had managed to both compliment and insult him yet again. 

“I really wanted to make you a bouquet, and I didn’t know how else to do it. I know how much you love flowers and you love this shop, and I love them too. And I just wanted you to know how much I like you, I guess.”

“God, you’re such a cheesy  _ idiot! _ I can’t believe that I like you too.”

“You do?” Tsukishima’s heart rose again in his chest.

“Of course, Tsukki! Yes, yes, yes.”

Surrounded by the smell of flowers and the taste of honey still on his mouth, Tsukishima held Yamaguchi close.

The flower shop was easy to miss. If you weren’t paying attention, you might not have seen the two boys holding onto each other inside. However, if you did choose to walk in, you would have seen a boy with hair the colour of summer leaves kissing one with hair the colour of sunshine. You would have seen displays bursting with colourful flowers, and a boy learning how to blossom with them.

The flower shop was quiet and modest, but bursting with secrets and mysteries. And it was Tsukishima Kei’s favourite place in the world.

Because when the flower shop closed, you would have seen him walking out, clutching a bouquet in one hand and his flower boy’s hand in the other.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! please leave comments/kudos if you’d like and check out all of the other amazing artists/writers participating in yamaguchi week 2020!
> 
> \--
> 
> come talk to me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/c4tboykei)!


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